This feat is not typical for the effective range with a high first-hit probability of the employed rifle on non-static targets (see maximum effective range). The shot was aided by the ambient air density in the Shah-i-Kot Valley where Corporal Furlong operated, which is significantly lower than at sea level due to its 2,700-metre (9,000 ft) mean elevation.

In December 2003, PPCLI snipers Master Corporal Graham Ragsdale, Master Corporal Tim McMeekin, Corporal Dennis Eason, Corporal Rob Furlong and Master Corporal Arron Perry were awarded the Bronze Star Medal by the U.S. Army for their actions in combat during Operation Anaconda, March 2–11, 2002. Rob Furlong held the record of longest kill shot recorded in history[3] until November 2009 when his record of 2,430 m (2,657 yd) was beaten by Corporal of Horse (CoH) Craig Harrison, of the Blues and Royals, part of the Household Cavalry of the British Army, who set a new record by shooting two Taliban fighters at 2,475 m (2,707 yd), using a .338 Lapua L115A3 Long Range Rifle.[2]

After leaving the Canadian Army, Furlong moved to Edmonton, Alberta and joined the Edmonton Police Service in 2004. In 2012, Furlong was dismissed from the police for discreditable conduct, after an episode in which he physically abused and urinated on a fellow police officer.[4][5] As of 2013[update], he operates a marksmanship academy, called Rob Furlong's Marksmanship Academy,[6] based in Alberta.